A simple rule to use $10 vs 10% off (2024)

If a product is priced at above $100, use an 'amount off' discount (e.g. $20 off). If it’s priced at below $100 use a 'percentage off' (e.g. 20% off). People will be more likely to buy.

Topics: Promotions | Pricing
For: B2C, B2B Friendly
Tip type: Existing research (August 2015)
Universities: EGADE Business School and Babson College

New to Ariyh? This is a 3min practical summary of a scientific study 🎓
Subscribe for $0to get a new science-based marketing insight every week 📈

📝 Intro

People are bombarded by different offers: 20% off, $40 discount, or $12 cashback if you spend more than $120.

But which type of discount works best: amount or percentage? $20 or 20% off?

It depends on the price of your product.

📈 Recommendation

If you are discounting a product that is priced more than $100, use an amount off discount (i.e. $X off).

If you are discounting a product that is priced less than $100, use a percentage off discount (i.e. X% off).

Keep “100” as the cutoff for other currencies too (e.g. for an item priced 180 pesos use 36 pesos off, not 20% off).

🎓 Findings

  • For higher-priced products, people perceive better value and are more likely to buy when a discount is an amount off (e.g. $25) rather than a percentage off (e.g. 10%).

  • For lower-priced products, the opposite happens. People perceive better value and are more likely to buy when a discount is a percentage off.

  • A cutoff of “100” (e.g. $100, €100, 100 pesos) determines what is high priced (more than 100) and what is low priced (less than 100).

  • For example, in experiments:

    • When a jacket priced 480 pesos was discounted as 120 pesos off (vs 25% off), people

      • Perceived the offer as 12.4% better value

      • Said they were 16.3% more likely to buy

    • When balloons priced 48 pesos were discounted as 25% off (vs 12 pesos off), people

      • Perceived the offer as 7.8%* better value

      • Said they were 11.1%* more likely to buy

Purchase intention in one of the experiments for a high priced item and a low priced item (Click to zoom in)

A simple rule to use $10 vs 10% off (1)

🧠 Why it works

  • Part of how we perceive the value of an offer is based on the absolute number of that discount (e.g. 10, 50).

  • That’s because we don’t always put in the mental effort to calculate a percentage discount to the equivalent amount.

  • For example, a 10% discount means we think of the number 10. If a price is higher than $100 (the equivalent amount would be more than $10 off), we perceive it as a smaller discount than what it actually is.

  • When we see $20 off instead of $10 off for a $200 item, we think of the number 20, which is higher, so better.

  • Mathematically, amount offs will look bigger than percentage offs when the price is higher than 100.

  • When we perceive a promotion as better value, we’re more likely to buy it.

💻 Brought to you by Storyblok

Want a faster, more effective way to run your website?

Try Storyblok - the next generation headless CMS:

  • Edit your website as you browse it

  • Launch new landing or product pages in minutes

  • Create content once, publish across all your channels

Try it out yourself for free - no credit card required.

Limitations

  • The study tested both US dollars and Mexican pesos (100 pesos ≅ $5). The rule should apply to other currencies although this was not directly verified.

  • The researchers state that for lower-priced products (below 100) it’s better to use a percentage off discount. However, this is based on the “direction” of results, the actual difference was not statistically significant. This means it’s probably not a big deal if you always stick to using an amount off, even for lower-priced items.

🏢 Companies using this

  • Companies seem to interchangeably use amount off or percentage off, rarely taking into account this rule.

⚡ Steps to implement

  • Match your discount type to the price of the products you are promoting

    • More than $100 -> Use $ off

    • Less than $100 -> Use % off

  • If adapting your discount types to prices is logistically difficult, stick to using amount off (i.e. $ off)

🔍 Study type

Lab and online experiments.

📖 Research

González, E. M., Esteva, E., Roggeveen, A. L., & Grewal, D. Amount off versus percentage off—when does it matter?. Journal of Business Research (August 2015).

🏫 Affiliations

EGADE Business School and Babson College. Mexico and United States.

Remember: This research could be disproven in the future (although this is rare). It also may not be generalizable to your situation. If it’s a risky change, always test it on a small scale before rolling it out widely.

🎓 Found this insight useful?

  • Subscribe to Ariyh for free to get a new marketing insight like this every week

  • Want to instantly unlock access to hundreds of insights (and more)? Subscribe to Ariyh Pro

A simple rule to use $10 vs 10% off (2024)

FAQs

A simple rule to use $10 vs 10% off? ›

For example, a 10% discount means we think of the number 10. If a price is higher than $100 (the equivalent amount would be more than $10 off), we perceive it as a smaller discount than what it actually is. When we see $20 off instead of $10 off for a $200 item, we think of the number 20, which is higher, so better.

How do you take 10% off a price? ›

One of the easiest ways to determine a 10 percent discount is to divide the total sale price by 10 and then subtract that from the price. You can calculate this discount in your head. For a 20 percent discount, divide by ten and multiply the result by two.

Do customers prefer off or off? ›

For a higher-priced product, consumers prefer the offer more in terms of both value and purchase intentions when the discount is presented as amount off rather than the percentage off. For a lower-priced product (less than $100), the results, though not statistically significant, indicate a reverse pattern.

What's better, 15% off or $5 off? ›

Jonah Berger offers an easy way to remember to consider psychological perceptions in what he calls The Rule of 100. This rule states that for products or services over $100, a dollar discount will be more effective. For those under $100, things reverse and a percentage discount will likely be more effective.

What percentage discount is most effective? ›

Our initial research identified three price discount "sweet spots": 50%, 20%, and 33%, which work well with messages regarding the fleeting nature of the discount — such as “This sale won't last, so get this product while you can at this price!” These discount percentages resulted in higher numbers of orders than ...

What is better, $10 off or 10% off? ›

For higher-priced products, people perceive better value and are more likely to buy when a discount is an amount off (e.g. $25) rather than a percentage off (e.g. 10%). For lower-priced products, the opposite happens. People perceive better value and are more likely to buy when a discount is a percentage off.

How do you reduce a price by 10%? ›

Let's calculate our 10 percent discount. First, we convert the 10 percent into a decimal, which gives us 0.1. Second, we multiply 0.1 by the original purchase price of $359. So $359 * 0.1 = $35.90.

What is the rule of 100 pricing? ›

He called this theory, “The Rule of 100.” Based on his research, he found that: A percentage discount off an item under $100 off will always look larger than the dollar discount. For example: 25% off of $75 appears larger than $18.75 off of $75.

What is the psychology of discount codes? ›

Discounts and coupon codes can alter the perceived value of products or services by making shoppers feel like they're getting more for their money. One study found that consumers are approximately twice as likely to purchase a product that's 20% off compared to one at full price.

What does 10% off mean? ›

For example, if a good costs $45, with a 10% discount, the final price would be calculated by subtracting 10% of $45, from $45, or equivalently, calculating 90% of $45: 10% of $45 = 0.10 × 45 = $4.50. $45 – $4.50 = $40.50.

What does 10% of 10 mean? ›

When we ask, "What is 10% of 10?" we are simply looking for one-tenth of the value 100. We may simply calculate that 10% of 10 is equal to 1 by dividing 100 by 100 and multiplying the result obtained by 10.

What's 10% off $100? ›

This straightforward formula is behind the inner-workings of our software. The savings on a $100 product with a 10% discount are $100 x 10% / 100 = $100 x 0.1 = $10, whereas the savings on a 20% discount of the same $100 product would be $100 x 20% / 100 = $100 x 0.2 = $20.

How do I get my 20% off? ›

20 percent off depends on the original cost:
  1. Take the original number and divide it by 10.
  2. Double your new number.
  3. Subtract your doubled number from the original number.
  4. You have taken 20 percent off! For $30, you should have $24.
May 27, 2024

Is 10% a good discount rate? ›

A discount rate of 10% is commonly used, as it is generally around the return that firms make on their other investments. In some organizations, it is known as a “hurdle” rate.

What is the best discount rate to use? ›

An equity discount rate range of 12% to 20%, give or take, is likely to be considered reasonable in a business valuation.

How to say discount without saying discount? ›

  1. deduct.
  2. diminish.
  3. knock off.
  4. mark down.
  5. modify.

How do you remove 10 percent from a value? ›

How much is 10 percent off?
  1. Divide your number by 10.
  2. Subtract this new number from your original number.
  3. You've taken 10 percent off!
May 27, 2024

How do I take 10% off an order? ›

To compute a 10% discount, follow these steps:
  1. Take the item's price.
  2. Divide it by 100, then multiply it by 10. This is the amount you're saving thanks to the 10% discount.
  3. Subtract this amount from the original price. This is the discounted price.
  4. Spend the money you've saved!
Apr 18, 2024

How do you take 10% of a number? ›

​10 percent​ means ​one tenth​. To calculate 10 percent of a number, simply divide it by 10 or move the decimal point one place to the left. For example, 10 percent of 230 is 230 divided by 10, or 23. ​5 percent​ is ​one half of 10 percent​.

How to subtract percentages? ›

To subtract a percent from a percent, simply ignore the percent sign and subtract the numbers as if they were whole numbers. The result will be a difference in percentage points.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Pres. Lawanda Wiegand

Last Updated:

Views: 6300

Rating: 4 / 5 (51 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Pres. Lawanda Wiegand

Birthday: 1993-01-10

Address: Suite 391 6963 Ullrich Shore, Bellefort, WI 01350-7893

Phone: +6806610432415

Job: Dynamic Manufacturing Assistant

Hobby: amateur radio, Taekwondo, Wood carving, Parkour, Skateboarding, Running, Rafting

Introduction: My name is Pres. Lawanda Wiegand, I am a inquisitive, helpful, glamorous, cheerful, open, clever, innocent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.